Welsh Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings

The Sunday Roast – Welsh Beef and Yorkshire Puddings:

Part of the fabric of British culture, the Sunday Roast is sacrosanct. When I was growing up the roast was that one meal a week where my mother couldn’t experiment with yet another ‘frugal’ recipe. We alternated beef (with Yorkshire Puddings), pork, lamb and chicken (my personal favourite). Occasionally a gammon ham would sneak in – my Dad would look disappointed and, although we would all eat, it seemed like a travesty.

Roast Beef had a special place. With Roast Beef we always had Yorkshire puddings. And, then, pancakes for dessert – served with jif lemon and sugar.

The first time I tried to cook Roast Beef myself it was an unmitigated disaster. My parents were overseas – Libya, Saudi or somewhere similar – and I decided to invite friends for Sunday lunch. I must have been 18 – just waiting to go to Uni. I’d rescued the beef joint from the depths of the deep freeze. Mum had a habit of buying ‘half a cow’ from a local farmer, having it butchered and then freezing it in the largest chest freezer in the world. The theory – that it was a lot cheaper than buying individual cuts of meat – may have been correct, but the realisation had much to be desired as nothing was labelled or dated. Living as we did in the middle of no-where, the vaguaries of our electricity supply meant that she often ended up having to dump the entire contents of the freezer. On this occasion though, at the risk of poisoning my friends, I decided that a nice joint of beef was just the ticket. I’d only really watched roast beef being cooked in France and hadn’t realised that the delicious meat I’d been enjoying there was actually a whole beef fillet, cooked very quickly. I tried using a similar technique, turning the oven up and cremating the joint I’d found in the freezer to the extent that what was left to eat was less than half the size of the original piece of meat. It was also a strange grey colour, all the way through.

I didn’t try again for a long time.

Now, I think I’ve cracked it. For me, the greatest challenge is being able to cook a budget joint of beef (rather than a fillet or rib). The sort of beef which needs to be served rare, with a good home-made gravy, traditional vegetables and of course, Yorkshire puddings. The sort of beef that lasts all week, sliced thinly for sandwiches and salads or ground up to make rissoles or shepherds pie. In the past, I’ve tried pot roasting silverside or top rump. But, I miss the full flavour of rare roast beef. A pot roast is just not the same. And, I’ve learnt there are a few tricks to a perfect roast beef that make it possible to oven roast even the cheapest of cuts.

Firstly, start with your joint at room temperature. Take the meat from the fridge at least 90 minutes before you plan on using it.

Secondly, season your beef well. I’ve been told you shouldn’t salt uncooked meat but, for me, it seems to help firm the meat up and adds a subtle flavour. I also add a lot of freshly ground black pepper.

Thirdly, pre-heat your oven and, when you are ready, seal the meat on all sides before reducing the temperature.

Finally – and perhaps most importantly – let the meat rest. A joint of beef for four to six people needs at least 30 minutes resting time. All you need to do is make a tinfoil tent and pop the joint in there, sealing it up carefully while you finish the roast potatoes and the Yorkshire pudding.

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients

Beef

1kg Beef Joint (The exact cut of meat is down to personal taste. I've used a silverside here and also enjoy topside. Neither are the more expensive roasting joints (rib, sirloin or rump for example))

1 tablespoon Oil or dripping

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Yorkshire Pudding

75g Plain Flour

75ml Milk

1 Large Egg

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pinch Salt

Directions

Beef

Step 1

Pre Heat the oven to 180c (fan oven) or 190c

Step 2

Pat the beef joint dry with kitchen paper, season with salt and pepper and then use your hands to rub the oil all over

Step 3

Put the beef onto a roasting rack and tray and pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Once the beef is coloured on the outside, turn the heat down to around 110C

Step 4

Continue to cook the beef for anything from an hour to one hour 30, till the internal temperature, tested with a meat thermometer is 135c

Step 5

Once the beef reaches 135c, remove it from the oven and place in a tinfoil 'tent' to allow the meat to continue cooking. Turn the oven up to 230c

Yorkshire Pudding

Step 6

Meanwhile, make the yorkshire pudding batter up by sifting the flour with a pinch of salt.

Step 7

Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the egg. Use a metal fork to gradually pull in all the flour. Add the milk bit by bit till you have a smooth batter. Add cold water till the consistency of the batter is similar to single cream.

Step 8

If you like add a teaspoon of melted butter to the batter - it does make a richer mixture, though it may not rise so well

Step 9

When the beef is resting, preheat a pre-greased yorkshire pudding pan (either a muffin tin or a small roasting tray). Once the fat is smoking, add the batter - about a tablespoon per muffin pan, or so that you have a layer about half a cm on the base of the roasting pan

Step 10

Allow to cook for 20 minutes, till puffed up and golden. Under no circumstance open the oven door till the puddings are cooked.

Step 11

Slice the beef thinly. Serve with the Yorkshires, roast potatoes, home made gravy and whatever seasonal vegetables you choose

Since today is National Yorkshire Pudding Day it seems only right and proper to post this recipe – you’ve all just got time to pop out and buy your Welsh Beef ready for a splendid roast dinner tonight.

About Fiona Maclean

Comments

I have had problems in the past making a rare roast beef but I know now that a meat thermometer is critical. I have also tried my hand at Yorkshire puddings and failed miserably even with the correct tin baking pan. I could never get it right!

The trick to yorkshire pud, I think is not too much fat and a VERY hot pan before you put the batter in. You need to be letting your meat rest because you need your oven almost as hot as possible. Mine work best with greased pans rather than with a dollop of oil in the bottom of the pan…

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